Improved elevated railway



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CHARLES T. HARVEY, oE TAREYTOWN, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 65,909, dated June 18, 1867.

IMPROVED ELEVATED RAILWAY.

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TO ALL WH'OM IT MAY CON CERN:

Beit known that I, CHARLES Tnonrson HARVEY, of Tarrytown, in the countyof Westchester, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Elevated Railways or Railroads; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full,'clear, and exact descriptionv thereof,which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the saune,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming part ofthisspecification, in which drawing- U Figure 1 is an` elevation of 'one ot'the columns which supports the track, the track being shown incrosssootion. l i

Figure 2 is a side view of the track and of the upperpart of one of thecolumns.

Figure 3 is aplan view of a portion ofv the track, the portion selectedbeing over a column.

Figure 4 is al top or plan view of the lower division b of a column. v

Figure 5 is an axial section of such lower division, alsoot` theadjusting plates, and of the bottom phi-t? 0f flange of the uppersection of the column.

. Figure 6 is a front view,'and a view of a longitudinal section of oneof the panels at the front of the column. l Figure-Tis a .horizontalsectionof .said panel. A

The letter A' designates a supporting column, one of a series whichsustains the track of the railway. It` is made in divisions a t), anupper one and a lower one, to enable me to adjust the upper division toa vertical position without disturbing the foundation of the column orthe position of the lower division. Said divisions are united to eachother by means of broad tlanges formed at the bottom of one and at thetop of the other. The columns are hollow to admit the ascent or descentthrough them of a propelling cable or chain, when such a device isused-to propel one or more cars on the track. The upper division a'ofthe column is made in several -longitudinal sections, and I prefer tomakethem of wrought iron rolled into proper shape, their ends beingflared outwards, as shown in the drawing, so that when the sections arejoined together, their upper ends form bearings for the track, and theirlower ends forni a wide or expanded support for the said upper divisionof the column. Said lower flaring ends are properly secured to a fiatbase-plate, B, which, in this example, is circular. `The lower divisionb of the column goes through or is embedded in a massor block of stoneor other suitable material, built or placed immovably in' the ground.Its upper end is expanded into a flange of the same size and shape asthe base-plate B of the upper division of said column, and they (saidange and plate) are securely fastened together by bolts or othersuitable devices. In order to adjust the column to a vertical positionwithout being compelled to .disturb its foundation, I interposebetweenlits divisionsV two rings C- C, which taper or are made thinnerat one sidevthan at the other, the decrease in thickness being gradual,so that they form annular wedges. In placing them between the divisionsof the column, I set them conversely, so that the thickerpart or Side ofone is over the thinner part of the other, when they together form acombined ring of equal thickness throughout. If the upper division a isnot then vertical, I make it so by turning one of the rings to therightor left until the division is brought to the proper position, saiddivision being'irst lifted by jack-screwsor other devices to allow therings to be turned. The bolts which unite the baser-plateB to the flangeof division a go through curved slots in said rings C C, sc that thelatter are allowed to be turned and are yet prevented from slipping frombetween said divisions. The height, also, of the column A can be atanytime increased by inserting below it an annular washer, one`or more.I also pack the joints, o r one of them,between the base-plate B and theadjusting plates, with rubber or other suitable material .to preventunpleasant jars from the passage of cars thereon, and to secure, as'faras possible, a noiseless movement. The longitudinal sections ofdivisions'a rare firmly united by bolting togethertlanges formed on.their edges, as shownvin the drawing. The openings which are left atthe bottom of division a, between the daring ends otiits sections, areclosed by panels D, which are accurately fitted beneath the shoulders orlower ends of the flanges or ribs of the sections, and rest on thebase-plate B, so that they contribute 'to the strength ofthe column,andat the same time close up said openings.V Said panels are'fastened bybuttons or bolts or other convenient devices. Theupper end of each ofthe columns of the railway supports a. cross-frame, E, or other suitableplatform, which supports the rails and other portions of the track, andalso .the cable-guide. One part of the platform E, which is parallelwith the track, comes directly-beneath and supports the cable-guide F.The space between the cable-guide and the rails vis occupied by a strongfloor or grating, G, of lattice-work, or of glass or other transparentmaterial, extending the whole length of the railway, so as to permit thepassageof light and to strengthen and stiften the track. This floor, ifmade in the form of a grating, may be of metal or of wood, and it servesto sustain the weight of persons walking thereon, and of workmen who maybe employed in repairs, and to intercept falling objects, and also tostrengthen and stiften the track and prevent the rails both fromspreading `apart and from approaching each other, the rails beingstrongly secured to the outer edges of said grating or iloor in anysuitable way, either by rigid fastenings which will compel the gratingor-iioor to move up and down`with the rails, or by fastenings whichpermit the rails to move up and down independently of the grating orfloor.

The letters H H designate compound rails, which are the subject ofanother application for Letters Patent, the rails I being those whichcome in contact with the car-wheels, and J J being supplementary or siderails that rest on the' supporting platform E. The bottom ange R comesbetween the side rails J J,'and the lateral flanges rest on their upperedges. Rails M are also combined with the side rails. The side rails Jare partly embraced by angle pieces O (having slots P) turned up at theends of the transverse bars of vplatformE In addition to theseprovisions I put springs, R, between the track and platform. The twolines of rails that coinpose the track, and the said grating or floor,are partly sustained between the supporting columns by transverse barsS, fastened to the under surface of the cable-guide, and extending asfar as the outside of the rails. `The springs R R serve also te sustainthe grating or loor wherever they occur. The saidgrating or floor mayextend from rail to rail of the track, going beneath the cable-guide ifdesired. Those columns of the railway which are not used to conduct thepropelling cable between the cable-guide and the driving or other drumsof the railway are filled up with wood or other suitable material forthe purpose of stilfeuing or strengthening them, and to counteract anyinjurious effect which frost have. on the columns in making thembrittle. It is desirable that the propelling cable or chain, in goingbetween the cable-guide and the driving or other drums, be conducted bymeans of large wheels or by means of curves of" the largest possibleradius.

By my invention I avoid the expense and inconvenience of large wheels orpulleys, and accomplish the desired result by slotting one of thoseflaring upper arms or ends of the columns which is under thecable-guide, and inserting therein small wheels or pulleys T, (threesuch being shown in this examplc,) whose peripheries project far enoughbeyond the convex surface of the said flaring arm to keep the cableclear of the said flaring arm and conduct it properly to thecable-guide. By this means I am enabled to use the columns both toobtain bearings for the journals of said wheels or pulleys, and toobtain an easy and suitable curve by which to conduct the cable or chainpast angles, both in taking it up to the cable-guide and leading it downtherefrom. The line of railway is connected to the line of buildings, orto other means of lateral support along a street, by stayrods U, whichmay extend from each column A, or from the track itself, at suitablepoints. These rods are connected to each other by diagonal braces, and4their outer ends are attached to the columns or to the ends O of thecross-plates E, or also tothe rails H, by extending the rods throughthe'same, and placing on the rods nuts with rubber or other elasticwashers on theirsides next to the cross-plate or column. The outer endsof the rods are securedto the buildings or other side support, andunpleasant vibrations of such buildings from the movements of cars ortrains are prevented by means of the elastic washers, and also byplacing the nuts a little distance from the sides of the said parts O,or of the column and rails, so that the stay-rods can have 'a littleplay before the nuts come in contact with the sides of the part orobject to which the rods are secured. The rods may also be allowed someplay endwise'at the ends which are connected to the buildings. Insteadof the mode of connecting the rods to the railway which is here shown,their ends may be attached to elliptic or other springs, so as to givethem elastic bearings with the railway, and thereby avoid rigid andunyielding connections. These stay-rods can be used also as frames or assupports for the frames of awnings for stores or sidewalks. Thesupporting columns A are also used as lamp-posts, the gas pipes throughwhich the lamps are supplied being conducted upwards through the hollowspace of the columns, emerging therefrom at a suit-able point, where thelamp and its frame can be supported by suitable brackets extending fromthe columns. This' arrangement of combining the otice of a lamp-postwith a supporting column is shown in iig.' 1. Said supporting columnsalso sustain water pipes, which conduct to the ground the watercollected from the roofs of the cars, and also from the flooring-of thetrack when glass or other transparent material is used. The water isreceived in troughs x, of suitable length, which are secured to thecolumns, to the side ot' one ofthe rails, or to any other part of theelevated railway at or near each station, or other places where they arerequired, and the water is taken from them by means of pipes fastened tothe sides of the columns, as shown in iig. 1, and terminating at or nearthe gutters of the street. The water from the flooring of the railway(when an open grating is not used) is conducted to the troughs by pipes.or channels, or. it may be lcd into the pipes that go from suolitroughs. The manner of collecting or receiving in said troughs the waterfrom the cars is shown in another application.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the track of an elevated railroad, of an openor transparent door between the rails, so as to allow the transmissionof light to thc space beneath the railroad, substantially as set forthand described.

2. I also claim/the panels D in the columns A, for the purpose ofclosing the openings in the lower part of the said columns, and also tostrengthen the columns, substantially'as set forth and described.

3. I also claim the adjustable column A made in two divisions, a b,substantially as described.

v4'. I also claim the wedge-shaped rings C, or their equivalents, in`combination with the adjustable column g A, substantially as described.f-

5. I also claim the hollow supporting column A, in combination with anelevated railroad, substantially as and for the purposes described.

.6. I also claim the pulleys T, in combination with 'the Supportingcolumns A, substantially as and for tlie purposes described. 4

7. I also claim the combination of the'stayl-rods U with the elevatedrailway, said stay-rolls connecting said railway to the buildings orAother supports on tbe street, and, forming also awning-frame supports,substantially as set forth'.

8. I also claim 'a filling of wood, or equivalent materiel, incombination with said eolumns, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed. i v I 9. I also claim' `the water-trough along the track andits discharge pipe in combination with an elevated railway,substantially as and for the purposes described.

The above specification signed by me this sixteenth day'of January,1867.

CHARLES T. HARVEY.

Witnesses:

HERBT. G. HULL, GEO. F. SOUTHERN.

